Children of Toil ✔

Chapter Twenty-Six

The town ignited with the gossip. It spread like a bushfire. Lucan Hayes had a woman living with him. Someone he had met in Cairns, not his sister-in-law but some loose woman, a whore in the eyes of Lillian Rowles, a whore who had stolen her fiancé. She had caught them in the act.

Meggy walked Covey to school. She noticed the strange looks she was getting. When she greeted Missus Henke the woman spat at the ground in front of her so Meggy knew what they thought. She turned around and pulled Covey along with her.

"Meggy, I need to go to school."

"Not the day, laddie," she said as she dragged him behind her. Tears filled her eyes as she knocked loudly on Margaret Scott's door.

"Meg?" Margaret gasped as she saw the girl's tears. "Come in, Covey take ya brother outside to play. Toby is under the house."

"What are they saying, Margaret?"

Margaret gaffed and waved her hand in the air. "Just stupid gossip, Meg. Forget it."

"Missus Henke spat at me, Margaret. Please tell me what's being said."

"It's just viciousness, started by Lillian Rowles. She says you're a whore and you're not Lucan's sister-in-law but some wanton woman who got her claws into her fiancé."

Meggy gasped. Margaret patted the back of her hand. "The truth is, Meg, nobody knew they was engaged. A lot of people thought it might happen but it was never announced and all those people just accept her word. Don't you take no heed of it. It'll blow over."

Meggy shook her head, she needed to leave. She couldn't have Lucan disgraced by her. "Margaret, I need to leave the lads with you for a bit. Do you mind?"

Frowning, Margaret said, "You'll not take any notice of what they're saying, will you?"

Meg smiled. "Nae... I just need to take a walk. Get it sorted in me head. I'll manage that quicker without the boys."

"Meggy." Margaret grabbed her arm. "Lucan was never happy with her. She said some terrible things to him in front of the other men. I don't know if you have something together but there are a lot of couples in this town who aren't married, everyone seems to forget that. It's love and companionship that matters. It'll settle down and I've never seen Lucan so happy. You're a good girl. So don't let it bother you."

"I know, Margaret." Meggy sighed. "I know he's happy and just so you know, we do love each other." She smiled. "Thank you, Margaret, for being so kind to me. I just need to get me head around what they're sayin'."

Margaret watched Meggy rush up the road. Something didn't sit right. She knew Lucan was at work, he'd been moved to the smelter with her Mathew after the accident so she gathered up the boys and went to see him.

*

Meggy packed her things. She threw them into her suitcase, took one last look at the house, wiped away her tears and grabbed the wide brimmed hat he had bought her. She hurried down the street and walked out of town along the Herberton Road.

*

"Lucan!"

He looked up from the fire and saw Margaret struggling up the hill holding Riley and Toby's hands.

Covey ran in front of her. "Da!"

Lucan knew instantly that something was wrong with Meggy. Covey wasn't at school. He dropped his shovel and ran towards them.

"It's Meggy..." Margaret gasped. "I'm not sure but you've heard the gossip." He nodded so Margaret continued, "She took Covey to school and one of the women spat on her. I told her not to worry, that'd it'd blow over but she went all funny and asked me to watch the boys. Said she needed to clear her head. It didn't sit right with me, Lucan. I thought you needed to know."

Lucan ran his hands through his hair. "I wondered how she'd take it when she heard. I was hoping it'd be over before it got to her." He took a deep breath. "Mathew...! I gotta go home for a bit. Will you tell Watts?"

Mathew held his hand up in acknowledgement.

"Do you mind keeping the lads, Margaret?"

Margaret urged him to go. "If she's gone anywhere, it'll be to Herberton. She was sayin' the other day something about Herberton."

*

Lucan knew she was gone the instant he walked into the house but he checked the wardrobe anyway. He wanted to kill Lillian. He'd heard the rumours down at the battery. The men rib him about it and some had spat at him. What the fuck would they all know? His engagement hadn't been announced because Lillian wanted to wait until she'd turned him into a gentleman and not embarrass her with his bad grammar.

He started along the road to Herberton, jogged and walked, jogged and walked. Lucan was reaching the top of a rise in the road when he saw her sitting on a rock. "Meggy!" She looked up at him so he waved but instead of coming towards him she ran.

Meggy ran across the road and scrambled down the slope, rocks tumbling every which way. She fell grazing her cheek then struggled to her feet and looked frantically over her shoulder. She had brought him shame and she would not face him again.

Never.

But he was coming, half sliding and half running down the slope.

Meggy lifted her skirts and ran blindly forward, crossed the trickling stream and up the small embankment. When she reached its crest, she turned her head this way and that, found large boulders and a climb too steep to even consider surrounded her.

She slipped back down the embankment. When she stood Lucan was there holding his hands out to her.

"Stop, Meggy. Hear me out." His voice was calm, not angry as she had expected.

Meggy looked at his face, at his eyes. Tears slowly streamed down her cheeks. She dropped her skirts and wiped angrily at her face. "They know, Lucan! They all know I'm a whore! They think I'm your whore now!"

Smiling gently, Lucan held his hand out to her. "I don't care what they think."

Meggy looked down at his held-out hand, and then back at his face, at those eyes.

"Meggy, I don't care what they say. I want to marry you. Come. Walk with me, Meggy. Walk with me as my wife."

She wiped at her tears once more and shook her head. "How can I?"

Lucan smiled again, that soft gentle smile, which drove her heart mad. He cocked his head to one side and pointed at her shoes. "Easy, Meggy. Let your feet take you." 

♥♥♥

There are always two sides to every story and it's sad that often both sides aren't heard and one person is harmfully judged.  Human nature at its worst.  I'm so happy that Meggy has Lucan and he loves her, no matter of her past. xoxo

Please read on. ♥

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